Drainable cap for invertible containers

ABSTRACT

A system is described for storing liquids. The system comprises a cap configured to couple to a container. The cap comprises a base surface configured to provide a base for a coupled container; a flip-open lid positioned to enable access to an interior of a coupled container; a first cavity having a floor defined by a portion of the cap and a sidewall defined by a portion of the cap; and a drainage port sized to enable water to drain from the first cavity. By providing one or more drainage ports for the hollow portions of invertible container caps, the tendency of water to pool and stagnate within the caps can be reduced. This can reduces the growth of harmful mold in showers.

BACKGROUND

Many toiletries product containers are stored in shower stalls between episodes of use. For example, plastic bottles for shampoo, conditioner, skin treatment, and other personal hygiene liquids are often left in the shower until used up. Often, these liquids are thick and move slowly, so to reduce the amount of time that it requires a consumer to obtain the liquid from the containers, the caps are coupled to the containers that enable the containers stand in an inverted position, i.e. opening-side or cap-side down. This design enables gravity to pull the liquids toward the container opening between uses, so that the liquids are readily-available at the opening when a portion of the cap, such as a flip-open lid, is opened.

Typically, caps designed to permit inverted storage, have common features. These include a flat, or inwardly arced, base surface suitable to balance the container under normal storage conditions, such as on a relatively flat shelf-top surface, and a flip-open lid that enables access to the contents in the interior of the container. For some of these caps, the majority of the base surface covers a portion of the exterior of the container in addition to the covering the opening, and further, the caps often have vertical sides for added strength, but are hollow for weight and material savings. This results in a relatively closed cavity between a portion of the exterior of the container and a portion of the interior of the cap.

Unfortunately, due to manufacturing constraints, there is often a water-permeable gap between the sides of a typical cap and the shoulders of the container, i.e. the portions of the container that narrow toward the opening, where the cap is attached. Further, the sides of the container are typically more flexible than the cap, so that liquids may be squeezed out, while the cap remains strong enough to prevent the container from tipping over. This provision for container deformation often necessitates the gap between the shoulders of the container and the sides of the cap.

Other caps, for example, caps for certain flexible tubes, are designed such that the entire base surface is part of the flip-open lid, but yet only a relatively small portion of the cap allows access to the interior of the flexible tube. These caps may additionally have interior cavities within the flip-open lid, in addition to any possible cavities between the cap and the tube. Water can sometimes enter the inside of a cavity in a flip-open lid through gaps on the sides of the cap. Caps may connect to a tube by a threaded coupling spanning nearly the full width of the tube, or else spanning just the width of an opening that is appreciably smaller than the full width of the tube.

Unfortunately, it is well known that standing water in high-moisture environments can contribute to the growth of mold. A sad reality is that water splashing against the exterior of an inverted container may run down the side of the container, through a gap, and pool inside the cap. This can contribute to the growth of mold or other fungus, which can be hazardous. Since mold is typically not a cash crop, anyone wishing to avoid becoming an inadvertent mold farmer may need to turn invertible containers cap-side up, to drain collected water from the caps, prior to departing a recently-used shower stall.

Since it is so well known that continual moisture in shower stalls fosters mold growth, an assertion that a reasonably cost-efficient and effective system for draining the interior of invertible container caps is obvious, or was already known to the toiletries industry, is effectively an assertion that the toiletries industry has deliberately chosen to sell products that contribute to mold-growth problems and thus risk harming consumers, instead of using reasonable care to reduce the danger.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

By providing one or more drainage ports for the hollow portions of invertible container caps, the tendency of water to pool and stagnate within the caps can be reduced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a drainable system for storing liquids;

FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of a drainable system for storing liquids; and

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a drainable cap for an invertible container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a drainable system 10 for storing liquids. In system 10, container 101, holding a liquid 102, such as shampoo, is coupled to cap 103. Container 101 may comprise a bottle or tube, and be made of plastic or another material. Further, container 101 may hold another liquid, or an amount of a solid or even gaseous material. A gap 104 exists between cap 103 and a shoulder 105 of container 101. In the embodiment illustrated, gap 104 is water-permeable, which allows water splashed against container 101 to run into cap 103, where it can pool and stagnate.

An opening 106 of container 101 is shown facing downward, indicating that container 101 is illustrated as inverted. Cap coupling section 107 couples to container 101 by snap-fit 108, although another coupling method may be used, such as threads, adhesives, or melting. Cap 103 may be removable from container 101, or else permanently attached.

A cavity 109 is shown inside cap 103, which provides a place for water to pool, stagnate, and foster mold growth. Cavity 109 is defined by portions of cap 103 and container 101. Cavity floor 110 is within cap 103 and, in the illustrated embodiment, cavity sidewall 111 is the sidewall of cap 103. The top side of cavity 109 is defined by a portion of container 101, including the portion between shoulder 105 and opening 106. In some applications, sidewall 111 is more rigid than sidewall 112 of container 101, to allow container 101 to be squeezed, while cap 103 retains structural strength to bear the weight of container 101 and liquid 102.

Cap 103 further comprises base surface 113, which is sized, shaped, and constructed in a manner that enables system 10 to balance on an approximately flat and level surface, with the center of gravity above cap 103. Base surface 113, therefore, provides a base for container 101 to stand inverted. A flip-open lid 114 is positioned approximately aligned with opening 106 to enable access to liquid 102 in the interior of container 101. Flip-open lid 114 is illustrated as comprising part, but less than the entirety of base surface 113.

The illustrated embodiment shows three drainage ports 115 in cap 103. Drainage ports are sized large enough that the surface tension of the water within cavity 109 will typically not prevent the water from passing through. One drainage port 115 is shown disposed on base surface 113. Another drainage port 115 is shown disposed on sidewall 111, and yet another drainage port is shown disposed near the intersection of sidewall 111 and base surface 113. A ramp 116, within cap 103, is oriented to direct water toward at least one of the plurality of drainage ports 115.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a drainable system 20 for storing liquids. In system 20, container 101 is coupled to cap 203 by threads 208. For cap 203, flip-open lid 214 spans nearly the entire width of cap 203, such that it comprises the entirety of base surface 213. Since flip-open lid 214 is arced inward, base surface 213 forms an oval ridge in cap 203, that is wide enough such that container 101 can stand inverted.

Cap 203 has a second cavity 209, below cavity 109. Cavity 209 is has a floor and sidewalls defined by portions of flip-open lid 214, and a top side defined by another portion of cap 203. Water can enter cavity 209, either by a gap 204 and/or a drainage port 115 that drains water from cavity 109 above. In some embodiments, cavity 109 may not have any drainage ports, or may have a drainage port in sidewall 111. Further, in some embodiments, only cavity 209 is present, and cavity 109 does not exist. For example, some invertible caps are only wide enough to cover opening 106, so that cap coupling section 107 and sidewall 111 are the same piece. In such an arrangement, opening 106 spans approximately the width of container 101, in order to provide a suitably wide base surface 213. Cavity 209 in flip-open lid 214 is illustrated as having two drainage ports 115 disposed near base surface 115. The interior arced shape of flip-open lid forms a ramp 116, which directs water toward drainage ports 115.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a drainable cap 303 for an invertible container. Cap 303 comprises drainage ports 115 on base surface 313, on opposite sides of flip-open lid 314. Water channels 317, which form recesses in base surface 313, enable water to pass from each drainage port 115 to the edge nearby sidewall 311 of cap 303, when cap 303 sits on an approximately flat surface, such as a shelf ledge inside a shower. Water channels 317 thus prevent a shelf ledge from trapping water inside cap 303, by blocking drainage ports 115.

Although the present invention and its advantages have been described above, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments described in the specification. 

1. A system for storing liquids, the system comprising: a cap configured to couple to a container, the cap comprising: a base surface configured to provide a base for a coupled container; a flip-open lid positioned to enable access to an interior of a coupled container; a first cavity having a floor defined by a portion of the cap and a sidewall defined by a portion of the cap; and a drainage port sized to enable water to drain from the first cavity.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the first cavity comprises: a ramp configured to direct water toward the drainage port.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the drainage port is disposed on the base surface.
 4. The system of claim 1 wherein the base surface comprises: a water channel configured to allow water to pass from the drainage port to an edge of the base surface when the base surface abuts an approximately flat surface.
 5. The system of claim 1 wherein the drainage port is disposed on the flip-open lid.
 6. The system of claim 1 wherein the flip-open lid comprises: the entirety of the base surface.
 7. The system of claim 1 wherein the flip-open lid comprises: a portion, less than the entirety, of the base surface.
 8. The system of claim 1 wherein the first cavity has a top side defined by a portion of a coupled container.
 9. The system of claim 1 wherein the cap further comprises: a second cavity having a floor defined by a portion of the cap and a top side defined by a portion of the cap.
 10. The system of claim 1 wherein the first cavity has a top side defined by a portion of the cap.
 11. The system of claim 1 further comprising: a container coupled to the cap.
 12. The system of claim 11 wherein the container comprises at least one selected from the list consisting of: a flexible-sided bottle and a flexible-sided tube.
 13. The system of claim 11 further comprising: a liquid within the container.
 14. The system of claim 1 wherein the drainage port is disposed on the sidewall of the cavity.
 15. The system of claim 1 wherein the drainage port is disposed near an intersection of a sidewall of the cap and the base surface.
 16. The system of claim 1 wherein the cap further comprises: a plurality of drainage ports.
 17. A system for storing liquids, the system comprising: a flexible-sided container; a cap coupled to the container, the cap comprising: a base surface configured to provide a base for the container; a flip-open lid positioned to enable access to an interior of the container; a first cavity having a floor defined by a portion of the cap and a sidewall; and a plurality of drainage ports sized to enable water to drain from the cavity.
 18. The system of claim 17 wherein the cavity is further defined on a top side by a portion of the container, wherein the flip-open lid comprises a portion, less than the entirety, of the base surface, wherein the cavity sidewall is defined by a sidewall of the cap, and wherein at least one of the plurality of drainage ports is disposed on the base surface.
 19. The system of claim 17 wherein the cavity is further defined on a top side by a portion of the cap, wherein the flip-open lid comprises the entirety of the base surface, wherein the cavity sidewall is defined by a portion of the flip-open lid, and wherein at least one of the plurality of drainage ports is disposed near an intersection of the sidewall of the cavity and the base surface. 